Chakles austin



iinrteh tstes @anni @time CHARLES AUSTIN, OF CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE.Letters Potent No, 69,363, dated October 1, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING SOGKBTED REED-PLATES.

T0 LL PERSONS TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL OME: p

Be it known that I, CHARLES Avs'rm, of Concord, in the county ofMerrimack, and State oi' New Hampshire, hove made a new-and usefulMachine fol-'Making `Secketed Reed-Plates for Musical Instruments and Ido herebyA declare the same to be fully-described in the followingspecification, and-represented in the accomp' anying drawings, of which-Figure 1 is e top view, Figure 2a front elevation', and l'Figure 3avertical central and longitudinal section of it.

, In these drawings, A denotes the frame of the machine, it. havingAarranged within it an endless chai'ncarrier, B, eornposed of a seriesof plates a a a, hingedtogether at their ends, andbeing supported on apris# nlntic driver, C, and n'eylindrical roller, D. The shaft b of theroller D rests in adjustable bearings c c so applied to the oppositesidesof the'frame A,and provided with set-screws d d, as to enable suchbearings to be y moved horizontally either town-rd or away-from theprismtie driver C, as circumstances may require, and when oncs'ldiustedto he fastened in positionhy such screws'. A small stud, e, extends fromthe plate-supporting face of each link or plate of the endless carrier.Over the said carrier are two parallel guides D D and e. hopper, E, thesaid guides ,being arranged at n. distance apart equal to the widthvofeach'oi the strips of metal to be converted into a reed-plate.;l Theendless carrier is to be revolved hy means of ri belt going about apulley,

f, ixed on the shaft of the gear 1 In advapee'of the `hopper is-a rotarycutter or cutting-wheel, F, whose shaft gis supported in nvibratoryfreine, G, `andis provided with e. driving-pulley, h. The said frame Gris snpported at one end on centres -i z', and has ou each side of itaprojec'tion, c, to rest on the periphery ofan adjustable eau1,H, xed one. transverse shaft, l, which receives rotary motion by'means of e,trainzof gears,m-n o," the yfirst of which is fixed on it and thelast onthe shaft softhe prismatic driver C. The adjustable cam consists ot twoplates@ q, of lilac size and shape, their ends being aros oiciroles ofthe same length 'of radius. One of the -said plates, viz,p, is xed tothe shaft l, and the other, viz, g,"turns on thc shaft, and has :icurved slot, yr, made through it to receive neet-screw, a, which goesthrough the slot and is screwed .into the inner plato, and serves toclamp the outer to the inner of the two plateslA By turning the outerplete more or less we can very thelengths of the ares for supporting thevbratory frame'or keeping itscutter out of action on a'reed-plateblank.vA spring-presser,

to keep the plate, while being gr'opved'or recessed by the cutter F,flown upon the carrier, is arranged as shown at I, there being anothersuch presser K arranged iny advance of it, and just in rear of a pztirof'chisels'or edgeeutters L L, whieh are arranged in the guides, asshown in gs. 1 and 3, and serve to plane oli the opposite edges of u.blank so as to reduce the blank to a proper anderen width. 'In advanceof and below the endless carrier B is another such carrier, M, providedwith like appliances for supporting and revolving it, viz, a. prismatiedriver, N, and a sustaining-wheel or roller, O, the latter beingfurnished with adjustable bearings likerthose of the supporting 'wheelof the carrierB. Directly over the carrier M is a pair oi`4 g'ilides orguide-rails, R R, arranged horizontally, and parallel to each other, andat-o. distance apart equal to thewidth of the blank when dressedV on itsedges. ,These guides are euri-counted by a plate-reverser, S', which isa hopper formed with two `curved chutes or .dellectors, t u, arranged esrepresented in 'the drawings. This plate-reverser' is s o disposed withrespect to the' endless carrier-B that each plate or blank on beingdischarged from the latter may be received into the mouth ofthereverser. In felling down on or through the reverser the plate will beturned over or Areversed, tha'his to s sy, that side of it 4vvhichlwaslowermost when the plate was on thecurrier B, will' be uppermoetl whenthe plete is received upon 'the carrier M. The reverser serves also tocause the plate on leaving it to be deposited on the snidearrier M. Thislatter will force theplate forward and underneath a springpresser,

l'.l, to a planeiron or cuttenU, arranged as shown in theidrawings. Thepurpose of this plsne-ironU is to plana down the upper surface of thereed-plete or reduce the plete to its proper thickness. In advance ofthe plane; iron U is a weighted smoother, V,`or hoard or plate preparedwith anemeryscoated bottom, or with file teeth,su'ch hoard or platebeing free to play vertically. A inieher,W, is arrangeddn advance of thesmoother,nnd is like it in all respects except in having its lowersurface coated with rotten-stone and'oil, .or other suitable properetion for, polishing or finishing the surface of the blank-'while .drivenforward `underneeth the said finisher. For

determining the depth of cut of the wheel F its vihratory trame G isprovided with `stop-'screws u u', tvbich screw down through it andagainststops v 1f raised on the frame of the machine.

By means ofthe aboye-described machine a pack'ot` blanks, or rectangularplates,l of tbe lproper size, after' having been introduced into thehopper E, may be'suecessively recessed, reduced to aproper. width andthickness, and be smoothed and finished ready fo: reception of' theirreeds, it being understood that each of them, prior to being introducedinto the machine, has had a reed-slot mode in it. The adjustable camserves to regulate the length of cut made by the rotary cutter. Y

I claim as my invention in the above machine the following, viz:

I claim the combination as well as the arrangement of the guides DD, theendless cnrrerq, the presser I, the rotary cutter F, the v ibratoryframe G, and the adjustable cam H, as described, the said cutter F,carrier B, and cam H, beng'provded with mechanism for operating them,substantially as described.

I also claim the combination as Well as the arrangementof the hopper-the gidesD D', the endless# cari-ier B, the presser, I, the rotarycutter F, the vibratory fifameG, and the adjustable cani II, asdescribed, they being provided with mechanism for operating the carrier,the cutter, and the cam, as explained.

I also claim the adjustable cam H, made substantially as described. Y 4I t I also claim the combination as welles the arrangement of two or anyother suitable number of edge-cutters L L, and one or more prcssers I Kwith the endless carrier B; the guides DID, the rotarycutter F, thtvibratory frame G, and the adjustable cani II, or the same andthevhopper E, the whole being to operate together, and

provided with mechanism for actuating the carrier, the cutter, and thecam, substantiallyl'is* heeinbefore explained. y v v I also claim thecombination as well as the arrangementof tbe two endless carriers'B, M,one`or more slide`- trimmers or plane-ironsU, the guides D D' R R,the'rcvc'sex S, the cutter F, the vibratory freine G, and the adjustablecam H, the carriers, cutter, and cam being ,provided with operative.mecbanism'substantiully as described. 4 Y

. I also claim the combination as well as the arrangement of one or moresmoothers V, one or more finishers' W, the plane-iron U, the reverser S,the endless carriers B M, 'the guides D D( R R, the cutter F, thevbratory frame G, and the adjustable cam H, the whole being providedwith. mechanism for operating thecarriers, the cutter, and cam,substantially as described. v

I also; claim the combination ns welll as the arrangement of the hopperE, the guides D D', the carrier B, one or more px'essers I K, the rotarycutteuF, the vibratory frame G, the edge-cutters L L, the reverser. S,the guides R R, the carrier M, the face-cutter U, or the latter and thepresser T; also, their combination as well as their arrangement with oneor more smoothers Vor one or more finishers W, the carriers and cam androtary cutter being provided with mechanism for operating them,substantially as hereinbeforc specified.

CHARLES AUSTIN.

Witnesses:

It, H. EDDY, I". I. HALE, Jr.

